


Against All Odds

by MacksDramaticShenanigans



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: AKA how that god awful ending should have gone, Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Ending Fix, First Kiss, Fix-It, Love Confessions, M/M, Miscommunication, Oblivious Bucky Barnes, Oblivious Steve Rogers, Second Guessing, ending rewrite
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-05-06
Packaged: 2020-02-27 01:46:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,114
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18729208
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MacksDramaticShenanigans/pseuds/MacksDramaticShenanigans
Summary: ENDGAME SPOILERS AHEAD“I’m not sure what comes next,” Steve says. He presses his lips together and he almost looks frustrated with that crinkle between his eyebrows. “I’ve been doing this for a hell of a long time now, Buck, and this is the closest we’ve gotten to… to peace. Or at least some form of it.” Steve shakes his head. “I mean, for the first time, I look at everything that’s happened and I look at how it all ended and I don’t see another immediate threat. The future looks… it looks clear.” He sounds surprised, like he doesn’t quite believe the words coming out of his mouth.“Maybe it’s time to settle down then,” Bucky suggests. He couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence the way he would have liked to.With me.A little chuckle falls from Steve’s mouth, and there’s an almost bittersweet smile there. “That’s what everyone else seemed to think, too,” he tells Bucky. “Tony…” a flash of pain flickers across Steve’s face as he says his name, “he always was telling me I needed to get a life. Natasha too.” His jaw clenches briefly, before he takes in a deep breath and collects himself. “I think… I think I need to honor their request. I’ve been trying to figure out how to do that.”





	Against All Odds

**Author's Note:**

> Hello friends!!
> 
> This has taken me far too long to write, I dunno what it is but my writing machine has been broke lately! (I’m going to blame finals stress). 
> 
> Anyways, we all know how bullshit Steve’s ending was and I could really go off on a tangent here and rant about all the reasons why it was bullshit, but I’m guess you all already know those reasons, so I’ll hold back lol. If you do want to hear me rant hmu on tumblr lol I’ve made several posts about it haha.
> 
> Special shoutout to Katy, the loml, for making some art to go along with this, I don’t know if she’s planning to post it anywhere (I’ll come back and link it if she does!), but it was beautiful and I loved it and I was so honored she liked my idea enough to art it. 
> 
> And a big big thank you to [starksnack](https://archiveofourown.org/users/starksnack/pseuds/starksnack) for betaing! Super super appreciate it! Thank you for all the help and great suggestions! 
> 
> Also, another big thank you to Caroline for helping me out with that one bit and giving me some great lines to use! Love you bb, I would be nothing without you. <3
> 
> The title comes from [Against All Odds](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkGg1bzfSys) by Phil Collins; this song came on in my playlist today and gave me THE MOST Stucky endgame feels so. Yeah. I had to use it as the title obviously. 
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> Now without further ado, please enjoy my version of Steve's ending!

When Bucky finds him he’s sitting out by the lake. He’s at the water’s edge, knees pulled up to his chest and arms curled around them. There’s a far away look in his eyes as he stares out into the distance.

Bucky’s quiet as he approaches, but loud enough that Steve will know he’s not alone anymore. The leaves crunch softly beneath his shoes. Bucky stops to Steve’s left and shoves his hands into his jacket pockets. He doesn’t say anything. 

Steve doesn’t say anything either. He barely even acknowledges Bucky’s presence. Just turns his head enough that he can watch from the corner of his eye as Bucky closes the distance between them and lowers himself to the grass, taking a seat beside Steve. 

“Y’know, I can see the cogs turning,” Bucky says, finally breaking the silence. “What’s got you overworking that big brain of yours?” 

“That obvious, huh?” Steve chuckles softly. He lets a hand drop down from his knees to pick at a few blades of grass, letting the easy breeze carry them off. “Been thinking about tomorrow,” he answers eventually. 

“Tomorrow,” Bucky repeats with a firm nod. He purses his lips and lets his own thoughts drift to tomorrow. Of what it entails. Of what could happen. “You scared?” He asks. 

Bucky’s eyes flicker over to Steve and he searches for any of his signature tells— his shoulders tensing, his face going blank. He finds none.

“Not scared,” Steve answers, giving his head a little shake. He chews on his lip, his face twisting up into something more thoughtful. “I guess I’m more… antsy?” He offers. “Unsure, maybe.”

Bucky can understand that. Time travel does not seem like an easy feat. Exciting, sure, but easy? Definitely not. And from what he understands, Steve has to return those stones at the  _ exact _ point in time before they were taken, which has got to add even more pressure to the mission.

But if there’s anyone that can handle this kind of mission, it’s Steve.

“Unsure?” Bucky questions. “What’s got you unsure? You’re gonna do great, Steve. Bruce’ll have your whole course plotted out, all you have to do is follow it.”

Steve shakes his head. “No, it’s not the stones I’m unsure about.”

Bucky lifts an eyebrow. “What is it then?” 

Steve lets out a heavy breath, and he perks up enough that it seems like he’s physically preparing himself for the conversation that lies ahead. 

Bucky sits up a little straighter, too. He can feel the concern start to ebb at his edges, and he can’t hide the worried crease that makes its home on his forehead. 

“I’m not sure what comes next,” Steve says. He presses his lips together and he almost looks frustrated with that crinkle between his eyebrows. “I’ve been doing this for a hell of a long time now, Buck, and this is the closest we’ve gotten to… to peace. Or at least some form of it.” Steve shakes his head. “I mean, for the first time, I look at everything that’s happened and I look at how it ended and I don’t see another immediate threat. The future looks… it looks  _ clear _ .” He sounds surprised, like he doesn’t quite believe the words coming out of his mouth.

“Maybe it’s time to settle down then,” Bucky suggests. He couldn’t bring himself to finish the sentence the way he would have liked to.  _ With me _ . 

A little chuckle falls from Steve’s mouth, and there’s an almost bittersweet smile there. “That’s what everyone else seemed to think, too,” he tells Bucky. “Tony…” a flash of pain flickers across Steve’s face as he says his name, “he always was telling me I needed to get a life. Natasha too.” That hurt look returns. “That was, um, one of the last things we talked about, actually,” he says. Steve casts his eyes down, swallowing hard. His jaw clenches briefly, before he takes in a deep breath and collects himself. “I think… I think I need to honor their request. I’ve been trying to figure out how to do that.” 

“Well what kind of a life do you want?” Bucky prompts.  _ One with me, right? _ he wants to ask, but he bites his tongue. It isn’t his place to force his future on Steve, no matter how badly he wants it. He just hopes that he has at least a small role somewhere in there. Even if it isn’t the one he wants, he’ll take anything.

Steve shrugs, a barely there bob of his shoulders, and he glances out into the distance again like he has to think about it, consider all his options right then and there.

Bucky holds his breath without even realizing he’s doing so.

“I don’t know,” Steve finally answers. “Something domestic, maybe. Normal. Something I could have had if I never had this, y’know? I used to think I didn’t want that anymore, but… it’s starting to sound kind of nice again. A little house with a white picket fence, a dog, a nine to five job.” He turns towards Bucky and smiles. “The love of my life, maybe.”

Despite the knots twisting in Bucky’s stomach right now, Steve’s smile gives him butterflies. It never fails to do that. “Yeah?” Bucky murmurs, and he can feel the hope starting to blossom in his chest.  _ Maybe _ , he thinks,  _ just maybe _ .

“Yeah,” Steve nods, eyes wide and earnest. “And I think that tomorrow, when I go to take the stones back… Buck, I think I  _ can _ .”

The hope stutters, and Bucky feels like he’s suspended over the side of a building, like someone’s holding him there by the scruff of his collar. He isn’t sure what Steve means by that, but it could be that final shove down to the bottom, or it could be the savior that pulls him back to safety. Bucky isn’t sure he wants to find out which it is. 

“I saw her, y’know,” Steve starts, and Bucky deflates.  _ Her _ . Steve doesn’t even have to say the name, but Bucky knows. Of course he does. He should have seen this coming. He saw firsthand back in the 40’s just how they looked at each other. It’s not Steve’s fault that he never looked at Bucky like that.

“I saw her. Peggy. When we went back to get the tesseract, I saw her there. She looked… god, she looked beautiful. She was a little older, but she hadn’t changed a bit.” There’s a soft look in his eyes, a nostalgic smile curving his mouth. 

Bucky’s heart aches a little in his chest.

“When I found her, a few years after coming out of the ice, she told me that she wished I could have lived my life. I think I’m gonna do that, Buck.” Steve lifts his eyes to meet Bucky’s and he pauses for a moment, like he’s searching for something in Bucky’s eyes, something telling him that he’s making the right choice, that this is okay. He must find it, because he nods and his features harden, like he’s steeling himself for his decision. “I think I’m gonna live my life.” 

“With her,” Bucky says. Not asks. He doesn’t have to ask. It’s clear in Steve’s tone that that’s what he means. That he plans to go back and stay back. 

Steve is quiet at first. But eventually he nods. “With her,” he confirms. “I can go back and find her again. Court her properly this time, marry her. Maybe even get a couple of kids out of it, or something. I don’t know. All I know is that she loved me once. That’s something I’m sure about, something I can count on. Here… I don’t have that kind of surety. I can’t count on that here. I don’t know how y—” Steve cuts himself off and shakes his head. An almost wistful look clouds his eyes and he presses his lips together. 

_ But it  _ is  _ something you can count on here _ , Bucky wants to scream.  _ You can count on it because  _ I  _ love you, Steve. I've  _ always _ loved you _ . 

He doesn't say it though. He  _ can't _ say it. Not when this is clearly something Steve wants.

Steve's happiness has always been the most important thing to Bucky. The way he talked about Peggy, about the prospect of seeing her again, of finally getting to  _ be _ with her… this must be what will bring Steve that happiness. It has to be. And Bucky's not going to take that from him. He can't. If this is truly what will make Steve happy, Bucky has no choice but to support his decision, no matter how much it crushes him on the inside to do so.

So instead he puts on a brave face. Pastes on as genuine of a smile as he can, though even he knows it doesn’t quite reach his eyes. “You deserve that, Steve,” he says, and hopes his sadness doesn’t bleed into his words like ink through parchment. This he does mean. 

“You think so?” Steve asks. 

Bucky keeps his eyes cast down, but nods. “Yeah, I really do,” he says. “You deserve to have everything you want.”

When he finally looks up at Steve, he catches the tail end of something almost sad on his face, but it’s gone too quickly for Bucky to really tell. Then Steve’s eyes meet Bucky’s, and a hopeful glimmer sparkles there, his lips taking on a sympathetic quirk. 

Steve reaches a hand out and rests it against Bucky’s shoulder. “So do you, Bucky,” he says. 

He sounds so honest when he says it, and he looks like he believes it, too. It breaks Bucky’s heart that much more, because if Steve really does decide to go through with this, to go back to the past and start over with Peggy… it won’t matter how much Bucky deserves to have everything he wants. Not when everything he wants is that far out of his grasp.

If only. 

 

The next day comes far too quickly for Bucky’s liking.

The clearing is full of equipment; the platform sits in the middle, with what looks like the small control center to one side of it. Technology that would have once piqued Bucky’s interest, now just makes him sad to look at. Though incredibly advanced, and surely complex pieces, they’re still the very pieces that will take Steve away from him. It’s hard to get excited about that. 

Bruce is standing behind the control panel, squinting at the screen of the computer and poking at a few different buttons. To the left of the screen sits a silver case. Bucky can’t see into it, but he doesn’t have to to know it contains all six of the infinity stones. 

Bucky stands off to the side, close enough to be involved in conversation, should it arise, but far enough away that he can process on his own. His hands are tucked into his jacket pockets and he digs a toe into the dirt as he waits for the show to get on the road. 

This is it. These few moments right now before Bruce sends Steve on his way will be the last few moments Bucky will have with him. The last few moments any of them will have with him. It’s a sobering thought, one that makes the reality of this all really start to set in. 

Last night as Bucky lay in bed, trying to fall asleep, he kept picturing a world without Steve Rogers. No matter how many different scenarios he imagined, not a single one of them felt like it was within the realm of possibilities. They all just seemed like potential options, nothing set in stone yet. But standing here, staring at all this equipment, at Steve as he approaches Bruce to collect the stones and prepare for his journey, it all feels too tangible. 

Now, it isn’t just an option. It’s a choice. 

Bucky’s trying his hardest not to let it get to him, but as the seconds tick by, it gets more and more difficult. How does one keep it together when he’s about to lose the most important person in his life? Bucky certainly doesn’t know. 

Bucky watches as Steve comes to a stop beside Bruce, and Bruce releases the clasps on either side of that silver case, the top opening with a hiss. 

“Remember, you have to return the stones to the exact moment you got them or you’re gonna open up a bunch of nasty alternative realities,” Bruce explains.

Steve glances down at the contents and gives a small nod. “Don’t worry, Bruce,” he assures, reaching out to close the case again. The sound of the lock echoes in the forest. “Clip all the branches.”

Bucky almost wants to laugh at that.  _ Clip all the branches, my ass. _

He manages to keep it in, and thankfully too, as things are quiet between them for a moment and atmosphere seemingly grows heavier.

Bruce casts his eyes down, then they flicker back over to Steve. “Y’know I tried… when I had the gauntlet, the stones, I… I really tried to bring her back,” Bruce says. He sounds a little choked up at the end, and Bucky can see the way the collected expression on Steve’s face falters as a result. 

“I miss her man,” Bruce adds after a stilted pause.

Steve presses his lips together and nods again. “Me too.”

Bucky’s heart hurts for them and for their loss. He didn’t know Natasha all that well; she’d tagged along with Steve occasionally when he visited Bucky in Wakanda, but it hadn’t been nearly enough time to properly get to know her. Still, he knows how much she meant to to the team and to Bruce and especially to Steve. Natasha was one of Steve’s closest friends, and Bucky was grateful that she’d been there for him when he couldn’t be. She was a good woman who deserved more time than she got.

Part of Bucky wonders what she would make of Steve’s decision. Steve did say that she was one of the ones advocating for him to get a life, but Bucky has a hard time believing that this is what she meant by that.

Another moment passes and with it the thick curtain of sadness that draped itself over them all. Steve lifts the case off of the table and lets it hang at his side. He and Sam start to make their way towards Bucky. 

“You know if you want, I could come with you,” Bucky hears Sam offer. He looks at Steve out of the corner of his eye, then lets his gaze fall to the case.

Steve comes to a stop so he can face Sam completely, and a grateful expression settles over his features. “You’re a good man, Sam,” Steve says, completely genuine. “This one’s on me, though.”

To some it would seem like a noble gesture on Steve’s part, rejecting Sam’s offer like that, but to Bucky, it’s a cowardly one. Sam deserves to know why Steve wants to do this alone.

Sam nods and smiles at Steve, like he understands. How could he, though? He has no idea what Steve’s about to do. Because when Steve leaves, he’s won’t just be leaving Bucky behind. He’s leaving Sam behind, too.

They aren’t too far off from where Bucky’s standing, so Sam hangs back as Steve picks back up and closes the distance between them. He comes to a stop in front of Bucky, but neither one of them says anything, not at first. They just look at each other, take each other in for the last time. 

Steve looks good in that suit, strong and capable and every bit like the true leader he is. He’s beautiful, too. Those clear blue eyes, the crooked nose Bucky loves too much, that little mole near his jaw. Bucky’s going to miss everything about him when he’s gone.

Bucky has to clench his jaw against the onslaught of emotions that suddenly crash into him. The pain, the anger, the feelings of abandonment. But most importantly, the love. Because it’s still there, of course it’s still there, stronger than it’s ever been before. But he can’t do anything about it, he  _ won’t _ do anything about it. 

It’s something Bucky spent some time thinking about when he couldn’t sleep last night. Among imagining all those futures without Steve in them, Bucky pictured this very moment: standing in front of Steve, right before he’s about to leave. But instead of just saying goodbye, he tells Steve how he feels. He’d spent so much time wondering if confessing his love would change anything at all, but in the end he’d come to the conclusion that it would be better not to; Bucky isn’t sure if he can handle the heartbreak that would come if Steve still left him after that. It would hurt too much.

Steve tilts his head a little, and a smile unfolds itself onto his lips, but it’s a bittersweet one. He knows exactly what this conversation will be, and so does Bucky.

“Don’t do anything stupid ‘til I get back,” Steve says, an echo of the very thing Bucky told him right before he was about to leave Steve for the foreseeable future. The only difference was back then, Bucky hadn’t had a choice.

A humorless laugh rattles Bucky’s body, and he shakes his head, pressing his lips together in a dismal smile of his own. “How can I?” He asks, trying to hold back the emotion threatening to leak into his words. “You’re taking all the stupid with you.” It ends up coming out quieter than he wants, voice petering out and nearly breaking at the end.

Steve’s face falls a little, but Bucky’s already stepping into his space, curling his arms around Steve so he doesn’t have to see it. He wants to tuck his face into Steve’s neck, but he doesn’t trust himself not to break down if he does.

The hug is short; Bucky knows if he holds on for too long he won’t be able to let go.

When they pull apart, he steps back and gives Steve another look over, like he’s cataloguing every detail for the last time, trying to commit them all to memory. Bucky presses his lips together and breathes sharply through his nose. “M’gonna miss you, buddy,” he says, voice barely above a whisper. 

“It’s gonna be okay, Buck,” Steve replies.

_ Will it, Steve? _ Bucky wants to ask.  _ Will it be okay? _

He sounds so sure of it it almost makes Bucky want to hate him a little. Because, sure, maybe for Steve it’ll be okay. He gets to go relive his entire life, start fresh with his girl— the love of his life. 

But Bucky’s about to lose his best friend  _ again _ . He and Steve have been separated from each other more times than he can even keep track of anymore, but for the first time in forever, they’re here and they’re together again, and this time, there’s nothing threatening to take that away from them. Except for Steve. Steve, who’s  _ choosing _ to leave, despite everything. How is Bucky supposed to be okay after that?

Bucky doesn’t say any of that, though. He doesn’t even give Steve a hint as to what’s running through his mind right now. He just presses his lips together and lifts the corners, putting on the bravest face he can muster.

Steve turns then and takes the few steps up to the platform. The case is held firmly in his left hand and he pauses at the edge to tap the band around his wrist. The red and white quantum suit bleeds out, covering the Captain America one beneath it.

Bucky’s heart starts to hammer in his chest as he watches it happen. Steve looks so sure of himself up there, like he has absolutely no qualms about what he’s about to do. What little hope Bucky had that the weight of this moment would clue Steve in to the impact this will have on everyone and would give him cold feet all but disappears.

He’s really going to do this.

“How long is this gonna take?” Sam asks, glancing towards Bruce.

“For him, as long as he needs. For us, five seconds,” Bruce tells him. 

Except that’s  _ not true _ . That’s not true because Steve isn’t coming back.  _ He’s not coming back _ .

And suddenly the idea of biting his tongue and keeping his feelings for Steve to himself sounds like the worst idea. 

Bucky can feel the panic setting in, can feel it starting to rise in his throat. He has to get the words out. He has to. It wasn’t his plan, but standing here, watching this happen, he realizes he  _ has to _ . If he ever wants to be able to find any closure for this, he needs to do it now. There’s no way he’ll be able to live with himself if he doesn’t tell Steve before he leaves. Because Steve’s not coming back, and forever is a long time to hold onto something like that and never know what could have been, The what-if’s would haunt him; they would kill him.

Steve walks to the middle of the platform and bends down to pick up Mjölnir. He tightens his grip around the handle as he straightens back up.

“Ready, Cap?” Bruce asks.

Bucky’s throat feels like it’s closing up.  _ He’s _ not ready. 

Steve just nods at Bruce.

Desperate tears prick at Bucky’s eyes, and the hysteria begins to bleed into his demeanor. The poker face he so diligently tried to keep on through this all is cast aside, his true emotions coloring his features. The seconds are ticking away, Bucky knows he’s running out of time. 

“Alright, we’ll meet you back here, okay?”

The suit’s helmet materializes, covering all but Steve’s eyes. There’s a trace of excitement in them, Bucky notices, and his heart pangs miserably. He can’t bear the thought that he’ll never get to see them, or their excitement again.

“Be back,” Steve has the audacity to say, and that’s it. Because he’s  _ not _ going to be back, and there’s no way Bucky can keep this in any longer, despite the conclusion he came to last night. 

“Going quantum in three…” 

“Steve,” Bucky shouts.

“... Two…” 

Steve’s eyes flicker over to Bucky.

“Steve, _ I love you _ ,” Bucky says, and he puts all the emotion he can behind those words, loading them up to their fullest potential. Steve needs to  _ know _ . 

“... One…” 

Steve’s eyes widen behind the helmet, and then he’s gone. 

A quiet settles over the clearing, and Bucky stares at the platform, where Steve was mere milliseconds ago. The image of him has barely even faded, and the look in Steve’s eyes as Bucky’s words registered burns behind his eyelids as he lets them fall shut. 

That was the last of Steve he’ll ever see.

Bucky swallows hard as reality washes over him. He tries to stamp down the anguish flaring up, clenches his jaw and wills the wobble in his lip to stop. He does his best to collect himself, but his efforts are half-hearted. There really isn’t any reason to put up a strong front anymore. Steve’s gone. He doesn’t need to pretend it doesn’t hurt. 

Sam’s too busy watching the platform, waiting for Steve to reappear, and Bruce is focused on the screen in front of him and making sure he gets Steve back safely. Neither one of them are aware of the misery Bucky’s drowning in.

“And returning in five… four…”

Bucky turns away from the platform, not wanting to see the way it will stay empty. He starts to walk away, steps slow and dragging like he’s not quite ready to remove himself. He knows there’s no hope, but it’s hard to really believe that’s truly it. 

“Three… two… one…”

The clank of metal dropping onto metal has Bucky stopping in his tracks. His breath catches in his throat, and he can feel his heart start to race as that hope comes flooding back through his veins.  _ It can’t be possible... _

Slowly, Bucky turns back towards the platform. And there, in the center, stands Steve. 

_ He came back _ .

Bucky inhales sharply, and he blinks a few times, like he doesn’t trust that what he’s seeing is real. 

But it  _ is _ . It’s real and Steve’s here and  _ he came back _ . 

Steve’s helmet disappears, and their eyes meet. Steve’s are huge and wide as he stares back at Bucky, looking just as shaken up as Bucky feels

And then Steve’s moving, hurrying off that platform so quickly it’s a miracle he doesn’t trip down the steps. He doesn’t take his eyes off of Bucky, and his strides are purposeful, taking him exactly where he needs to be. He stops right in front of Bucky, the tips of their shoes just barely touching, and he searches Bucky’s face.

“Did you mean it?” He asks.

Bucky’s too busy giving Steve his own once over to answer, combing over all those little details he committed to memory before Steve left, making sure he hasn’t changed, that he’s still the same Steve. He wants to reach out to touch, to tilt Steve’s head this way and that, to check for any possible anomalies or injuries— a force of habit, really— but he keeps his hands at his side. 

“What are you doing here?” Bucky demands. “I thought you were—”

“ _ Did you mean it _ ?” He repeats, cutting him off, a desperate note to his tone. 

Bucky doesn’t have to ask to know what Steve’s referring to. He pauses for a moment, bites his lip, scuffs his shoe against the ground, then looks back up at Steve. He presses his lips together in a sad sort of way and gives a minute nod. “Yeah,” he confirms. “I meant it, Steve.”

And before Bucky can even register what’s happening, Steve surges forward, both hands coming up to cup either side of Bucky’s face, and he captures Bucky’s lips in a fierce kiss.

It’s… it’s unexpected, but it’s everything Bucky’s ever wanted. Steve’s lips are warm against his, lush and pliant, and he kisses like he fights: with every ounce of heart he can muster. Bucky can feel everything Steve’s trying to tell him with that kiss, and he melts into it, relief flooding through his body. And for the first time in over seventy years, Bucky feels like he’s well and truly home. Like he can finally be completely happy. 

He doesn’t even realize he’s crying until they break apart and this choked off half laugh half sob bubbles out. But he’s grinning, he’s grinning wider than he ever has before, and so is Steve, who’s looking at him with the softest eyes, like all he can see is Bucky.

Steve’s thumb smooths over Bucky’s cheek, and he tucks a strand of hair behind Bucky’s ear. “I love you too, Buck.”

Bucky’s heart soars. He’s too overwhelmed to try to say anything back to that, so he just leans in again and seals his lips over Steve’s. 

God, he could get used to this. 

He can vaguely hear Sam and Bruce wolf-whistling at them, but Bucky can’t find it in himself to care that they have an audience. He’s been waiting his whole life for this; he’ll kiss Steve for as long as he pleases. 

When the separate again, Bucky laughs and shakes his head. “I can’t believe this,” he says, still in awe of it all. 

“And I can’t believe  _ you _ !” Steve exclaims, breaking the spell a little.

Bucky’s brow furrows. “Me? Huh?”

“Yes you,” Steve says, pressing his lips together. His face kind of reminds Bucky how Sarah Rogers used to look at Steve every time she would gently reprimand him for getting into  _ another _ fight. “You were going to just let me leave like that!” 

“Oh,” Bucky replies, and gives a little shrug. “Well yeah, your happiness is all that’s ever mattered to me, Steve. I didn’t want to take that from you.”

A crease appears in Steve’s forehead as a tender expression takes over his face. “Bucky, did it ever occur to you that  _ you _ are what makes me happy?” He asks softly. “You’re all I’ve ever wanted.”

Bucky ducks his head a little. “I wasn’t sure,” he admits. “And when we were talking and you mentioned Peggy…” he trails off. 

“The only reason I was even considering going back to be with her is because that would’ve been the safer option. Like I told you yesterday, I know how she felt about me. But with you… I wasn’t sure. I didn’t know if this was possible. I guess I thought I could try to distract myself from my feelings if I stayed back with her. I wouldn’t have to risk you not feeling the same.” 

“I wasn’t sure either, y’know,” Bucky replies. “So I get it.” And he does. He was willing to almost let Steve leave just because he was scared of that rejection.

A mischievous grin curves onto Steve’s face, and he dips down to steal another kiss from Bucky. “What about now?” He asks. “Are you sure now?” 

Bucky can’t help the smile that toys at his lips. “Hm, I might need a little more data,” he quips, already starting to lean back in. “Just to make sure I’ve come to the right conclusion and all.” 

Steve’s grinning as he kisses Bucky again, and Bucky loses himself in it. 

It’s only when the sound of a throat clearing behind them echoes out that the kiss breaks, and they turn to see Sam standing there, arms crossed over his chest, a pleased look on his face. 

“So, I’m not exactly sure what all that,” Sam waves his hand vaguely at Steve and Bucky, “was, but I’m glad you two figured it out,” he says. “I take it everything went well with the stones, then?”  

Steve drapes his arm around Bucky’s shoulders, tugging him against his side. Bucky curls his arm around Steve’s waist and leans into him. They share a soft smile before Steve looks back over to Sam. “Everything went well,” he confirms.

“Glad to hear that,” Sam says. “I’ll leave you two to it then,” he adds, sending them a wink.

Bucky’s about to tug Steve back into another kiss now that Sam’s walking back towards Bruce, presumably to help him pack all the equipment up, but Steve perks up like he’s just remembered something. 

“Sam, before you go,” he calls, stopping Sam in his tracks. “I almost forgot. I have something for you.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Let me know what you think with a kudos and a comment! 
> 
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> Come say [hi](https://www.tumblr.com/dashboard/blog/brooklynbabybucky)! :)
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> And come check out this cool [discord](https://discord.gg/8gybKrj) for marvel content creators!! You can find more information [here](https://marvelcreatorsnetwork.tumblr.com/) or feel free to ask about it in the comments!! :)


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